Back to the overcast breezy conditions again this morning. Only butterflies on the wing were Meadow Brown and Marbled White, still by far the most numerous, with dozens of each. The other butterflies seen were all disturbed from their resting places in the low vegetation as I walked past. These comprised Common Blue, Brown Argus, Small Heath, Comma, Small Skipper, and my first Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus) of the season.

I also had 3 day-flying Cinnabar moth (Tyria jacobaeae) take to the air just in front of me, at 3 separate locations too.

Among other species photographed were 2 longhorn beetles, Black-striped Longhorn Beetle (Stenurella melanura) on Dropwort (Filipendula vulgaris) and Spotted Longhorn Beetle (Rutpela maculata) on Large Bindweed (Calystegia sylvatica). The latter is present in large numbers now.

Also, a Broad-banded Epistrophe (Epistrophe grossulariae) hoverfly and Birch Catkin Bug (Kleidocerys resedae). Having seen the latter on many different plants in the past year I finally see it on birch catkins! The hoverfly in my image is actually hovering over the flower while feeding, something that not many other species of hoverfly do.

A leaf mine of the larva of the leaf-miner fly Liriomyza eupatorii was found on a Hemp-agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum) leaf.

It was a good day for new wildflowers. Numerous Creeping Cinquefoil (Potentilla reptans) plants were found in one localised area. Just single plants were located, very early flowerers, of Small Scabious (Scabiosa columbaria), Perforate St John’s-wort (Hypericum perforatum), Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) and my personal favourite of all the summer wildflowers on the Downs, Common Toadflax (Linaria vulgaris).

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