The lightest breeze in a week and a very muggy morning, which seemed to make for very good butterfly numbers. Gatekeeper and Chalk Hill Blue still make up 90% of the total number and perhaps Chalk Hill Blue may now be the dominant species. The northern half of the main grassland is seething with them. Still good numbers of Meadow Brown and the second brood of Speckled Wood is emerging, with about a dozen of them seen. There are a still a few Ringlet around too. It was a good day for ‘blues’, with several Common Blue and one each of Small Blue, Holly Blue (also second brood) and Small Copper. Single Dark Green Fritillary and Green-veined White brought up 11 species again, for my fourth walk in a row.

Moths of the day were a first record for me on the Downs of Common Purple-and-Gold (Pyrausta purpuralis) and a Jersey Tiger (Euplagia quadripunctaria).

Other than bees, and mainly honey bees at that, there seemed surprisingly few other insects about, although I did spot a first for the year Plain-faced Drone Fly (Eristalis arbustorum) and more Hornet Mimic Hoverfly (Volucella zonaria), which is around in good numbers now.

Photos were taken of Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum), a Common Ectemnius (Ectemnius continuus) wasp and an unidentified ichneumon wasp, as well as a Meadow Grasshopper (Pseudochorthippus parallelus).

Latest wildflower noted was Great Willowherb (Epilobium hirsutum).

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