Sunday 16 April 2017

The Holly and The Ivy

The Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus) spring brood will lay their eggs on the buds of holly but the summer brood will mainly use ivy as the host foodplant. All the Holly Blues on the wing at this time of year fed as larvae on ivy last summer and therefore the best place to look for argiolus activity is on and around favoured ivy growth where the males concentrate their search for freshly emerged females. This species has been performing in good numbers on Pevensey Levels.
 
 
Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus) (males)
 
 (the first male is showing signs of a bird strike on left forewing)
 


 
 
Green-veined White (Pieris napi) (male)

 
 
Some of our 'early' orchids are now in flower.
 
Early Purple Orchid (Orchis mascula)
 
(A small colony in a local Wealden wood)

 
 
Early Spider Orchid (Ophrys sphegodes)
 
(A rare downland orchid)

 

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