Saturday, 2 Aug 2025
New insects added today were Jersey Tiger (Euplagia quadripunctaria) moth, a possible Common Furrow Bee (Lasioglossum calceatum?) and Parent Bug (Elasmucha grisea). Latest photographs of already recorded species include a Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus) seen for the first time despite its name on Dock, Sun Fly (Helophilus pendulus) hoverfly (a.k.a. ‘The Footballer’), a Common Wasp […]
Friday, 1 Aug 2025
Good numbers of Brown Argus and Small Copper around this morning. Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown are increasing, and the large numbers of Chalkhill Blue are beginning to tail off. New insects for the summer were Long-legged Plant Bug (Phytocoris varipes), Alder Spittlebug (Aphrophora alni), Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius) and Spotted Wolf Spider (Pardosa amentata), the latter […]
Friday, 25 Jul 2025
Two days of heavy showers has seen a lush greenness return to the Downs. Chalk Hill Blue (Lysandra 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, 21 Jul 2025
Some good heavy rain in the past 2 days but the ground has been so dry that all was soaked up leaving the paths only slightly damp. No muddy puddles anywhere. At least that awful straw colour of the grass is returning to green with much new growth stimulated by the rain. A week since […]
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 […]
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, […]
Saturday, 28 Jun 2025
Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus) and Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus) are now the most numerous butterflies. New insects for this year’s Downs list are the flies Common Splay-wing (Phania funesta) and Hornet Mimic Hoverfly (Volucella zonaria), an ichneumon wasp (possibly genus Trychosis, cf. T. legator), a possible Yellow-legged Mining Bee (Andrena flavipes?) and the very photogenic (and […]
Saturday, 7 Jun 2025
The first Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) of the summer on the Downs put in appearance this morning – well the first I have really noticed anyway. There was also a small flock of 6 or 7 Common Swift (Apus apus) swooping low over the main grassland area hawking insects. The insect list continues to swell. […]
Wednesday, 4 Jun 2025
Several Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita) calling this morning but still no clear sighting. It was a very good day for insects with lots of new additions – Common Froghopper (Philaenus spumarius), Yellow-lined Plant Bug (Deraeocoris flavilinea), Small Green Pot Beetle (Cryptocephalus hypochaeridis), Meadow Tortrix (Grapholita compositella) moth, Yellow-legged Mining Bee (Andrena flavipes?), Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum) and Tapered Drone Fly (Eristalis […]
Wednesday, 28 May 2025
A second Eurasian Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla), one of the summer migrant birds, was noted this morning. It was very windy again today, but some good overnight rain meant that in the more sheltered areas there was still a lot of insect activity. Yet again there were lots of Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) butterflies on the […]
Monday, 26 May 2025
It was windy again, with a very gusty southwester blowing, so I stuck to the woodland paths and those along the eastern edges of woodland. The Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) butterfly is still to be seen, as are Small Blue (Cupido minimus) and increasing numbers of Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus), but not a Brimstone (Gonepteryx […]
Saturday, 24 May 2025
Insects added today are the Marbled White Spot (Protodeltote pygarga) moth, a hoverfly, the Sun Fly (Helophilus pendulus), the Patchwork Leafcutter Bee (Megachile centuncularis), the Common Tachinid fly (Tachina fera) and the sawfly Broad-striped Rhogogaster (Rhogogaster scalaris). A good morning for slugs too. However, if I thought insect ID was difficult then slug ID I can forget about. […]
Monday, 19 May 2025
I have only heard a Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) calling on the Downs twice in the last 10 years, but there was one around this morning. I could locate the general area that he was in but could not see him. Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni), Small Blue (Cupido minimus) and Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) butterflies are still […]
Saturday, 17 May 2025
Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni), Small Blue (Cupido minimus) and Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) butterflies are still around in good numbers. The Common Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea) continues to support a wide variety of insects, with all of these seen within a few metres of each other – Cinquefoil Strider (Macrophya annulata), Flecked Strider (Macrophya blanda), Red-thighed Macrophya […]
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, […]
Thursday, 8 May 2025
It was a good day for insects today. Forest Bug (Pentatoma rufipes), Lucerne Bug (Adelphocoris lineolatus), Common Dance Fly (Empis tessellata) and Plain-winged Spring Beegrabber [Myopa testacea] were seen before adding Buzzing Spider (Anyphaena accentuata?). As there are 3 very similar species in this spider genus, which can only be separated under a microscope, I […]
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, 25 April 2025
The first few Common Field Speedwell (Veronica persica), Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum) and Bulbous Buttercup (Ranunculus bulbosus) have made an appearance. A couple of Crab Apple (Malus sylvestris) trees are in full blossom. Western Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) are about in their hundreds today. This is probably the most common and numerous bee on the […]
Tuesday, 22 April 2025
What a difference 5 days makes. The trees on the Downs have all leafed and the visual impact of all that greenery is quite stunning. While the trees may be looking very different there is little to add on the wildflower front, with a just few Common Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta), Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) and […]