Small Blues & Man Orchid

Visited Hutchinsons & Chapel Bank Nature Reserves today, saw my first Small Blue Butterflies for the year, along the cutting.

A pair of Small Heaths were nearby in the middle of the path. I walked over to Chapel Bank to look for Green Hairstreaks before they finish for the year, found them along the usual hedge, they were not in the mood to be filmed, and went up into the canopy.

The Red Arm & Leg form

In the field i looked for Man Orchids, they were only just coming out, a month behind where they should be. This is the Red Arm form

The Early Purple Orchids were still in flower.

Pearl Bordered Fritillary

Visited a site in East Sussex today with Greenie, managed to get a nice series of pictures of this hard to see fritillary. There were about 20 Pearl Bordered Fritillaries flying about in the afternoon sunshine, they had only just emerged, and were pairing up soon after they had expanded their wings.

Hutchinsons Bank Butterfly Walk

Butterfly walk on HBk/ChBk Sunday 19 May 2013

Initially cool and breezy, the weather improved as we walked through the reserves and we were soon seeing Orange Tips and lots of Brimstones.  An occasional Green-veined White stopped for identification.  Every now and again a Mint Moth - Pyrausta aurata - would appear and later we saw a Common Carpet.  At the far end of HBk we found several Dingy Skippers before entering Three Corner Grove where Speckled Wood was seen.  We crossed over to ChBk, finding an Orange Tip egg on Garlic Mustard,  a Common Lizard under a reptile sheet, and during lunch had a couple of Buzzards overhead. While walking back to HBk we heard a Tawny Owl calling, and on HBk a Comma appeared.  On the Nature Trail more Dingy Skippers and one or two Peacocks were found, and in The Cutting we at last found Grizzled Skippers and yet more Dingy Skippers.  Returning to the cars via the Nature Trail we had another Peacock and Comma.

Ted F

Denbies Hillside

The Spring walk at Denbies Hillside started in dull weather but the sun soon came out, we visited a good population of Early Purple Orchid in the woodland. On the Hillside Chalk Milkwort was in flower.

The first Dingy Skippers were first seen around some new scrapes.

A single Grizzled Skipper was spotted just before lunch.

The end the day a male Orange Tip was filmed.

I didnt get to do the Hutchinsons Bank walk today, so will post when i hear what was seen on that walk later.

Hutchinsons Bank flower course

The London Wildlife Trust held a flower course on the reserve today. I also walked the Butterfly Transect, with good results, lots of Dingy Skippers about, and a few Grizzled Skippers, the one in the pictures was still expanding its wings when spotted. The first Small Heath of the year was also seen.
With Green Hairsteak about, Sundays Butterfly walk should be good if the sun is out.

The Common Carpet Moth was seen at the end of the day.

Hutchinsons Bank Walk

Our 2nd Butterfly walk was in marginal weather at the begining, but at 11am the sun started to appear, and the first butterflies started flying, A Green-veined White was seen in the cutting.

Wild Strawberry the foodplant of the Grizzled Skipper was photographed in the scrapes, along the cutting.

Two Grizzled Skippers were seen on Slimming Down, at the far end of the reserve.

A male Orange Tip flitted past at the junction with Three Cornered Grove, we didnt walk to Chapel Bank this time, so headed back along the bottom of the site.

Spring Butterflies begin to appear

In the last week the first spring butterflies have appeared at Hutchinsons Bank, including Orange Tip, Speckled Wood, Large, Small and Green-veined Whites, Holly Blue and Grizzled Skipper.