Pevensey Levels in Spring

     The weather during April was warm and sunny but the start of May was very changeable with blustery showers and occasional sunny spells. However, by the end of May we were experiencing a heat wave with temperatures touching 30 degrees centigrade and not a cloud to be seen anywhere.

Here are some images taken over the last two months on Pevensey Levels.

Large White (Pieris brassicae)

(freshly emerged male)

(mating pair)

Green-veined White (Pieris napi) (female)

Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus)

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) (5th instar larva on nettle)

This one was found in the open on the nettle plant and probably looking to construct a new larval tent.

Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae)

By the 17th. May, the spring brood was starting to emerge.

Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus) (male)

On the last day of May I saw my first Meadow Brown of the year and there was a significant landfall of Painted Ladies from the near continent, with dozens nectaring on bramble blossom. 

Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) (male)

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)

Hairy Dragonfly (Brachytron pratense) (male)

(mating pair)

Four-spotted Chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata) (male)

Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella) (male)

Variable Damselfly (Coenagrion pulchellum) (male)

Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans) (male)

Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) (female)

Common Lizard (Lacerta vivipara) (juvenile/sub-adult)

To finish, I came across these predated Moorhen eggs scattered in the grass beside a reed ditch. The culprit is likely to be a crow. I placed them together for the photograph.

Vanessids in Sussex

 Vanessids and their relatives are a group of butterflies within the Nymphalidae family.

 In Sussex, they include some of our most attractive species, some of which are familiar to anyone with a buddleia in their garden. 

With the exception of the Purple Emperor (which is sexually dimorphic), the markings on males and females of this group are the same. The sexes can be separated by several subtle differences such as behaviour and abdomen shape. 

White Admiral (Limenitis camilla)

This elegant butterfly can be found flitting and gliding in and out of the woodland canopy in many mature woods in Sussex.

(male)

(female)

Purple Emperor (Apatura iris)

This impressive butterfly is a species predominantly found in the mature woodlands of West Sussex but it is occasionally reported further east in the county.

(females)

(male)

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)

This is a common migrant to Britain and arrives during April and May. It is a continually breeding species, having no hibernation phase. Most head south in the Autumn but increasingly, many can overwinter in southern England as our winters become milder.

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)

Like the previous species, this is also a regular migrant to Britain, occasionally arriving in huge numbers. The majority head south in the Autumn and it is less inclined to overwinter in England.

The following four species all hibernate as adult butterflies during the winter. They are amongst the earliest butterflies to be seen in late winter and spring.

Large Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis polychloros)

The history of this species in Britain has been largely about periods of plenty interspersed with long periods of scarcity. It was declared extinct in Britain in the latter half of the twentieth century but in 2019/2020, it re-established itself as a breeding species. Perhaps it has always been the case that polychloros arrives on large scale migrations from Europe and can breed in Britain as long as weather conditions suit it. It is certainly breeding in Sussex once again.

(females)

Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais uticae)

This once common and familiar species has become worryingly scarce in Sussex in recent years. Whether it is moving northwards as the south becomes warmer and dryer, is unclear. There may be several factors at play.

(courtship)

Peacock (Aglais io)

Thankfully, this beauty is still a common butterfly in Sussex. Predominantly a single brooded species, it has taken advantage of our warming climate in the south and has regularly produced a second brood in recent years.

Comma (Polygonia c-album)

This is a common and widespread butterfly in Sussex. It hibernates in the open on tree trunks and the characteristic jagged wing margins probably help to prevent it from getting blown about in windy conditions. In warm spring and early summer weather, a proportion of paler orange adults (form hutchinsoni) occur in the summer brood.

(form hutchinsoni)

Hibernators Awaken

 Although hibernating butterflies can be tempted from their winter slumber on any mild and sunny day during late winter, there is nothing like a prolonged spell of warm sunny weather in early spring, to bring them out in multiple numbers.

Such has been the case over the last couple of weeks and I have spent as much time sitting and watching butterfly activity as I have labouring in the wood, hacking away at rhododendron roots.

Here are some images of our four common hibernaters in Britain.

Peacock (Aglais io)

Comma (Polygonia c-album)

Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae)

Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni) (male)

Late Summer in a Wealden Wood

 August is the month when the nights definitely start to draw in and a nip in the evening air hints that autumn is not far away. Summer species of butterflies are now showing signs of age but late summer species and broods are looking fresh.

Silver-washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia) (post-copulation)

This pair rest together for a while after mating before the male flies of and leaves the female to bask in the sun.

Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus) (female)

Whilst the Common Blue is very much at home in woodland glades, the Chalkhill Blue is most definitely a chalk downland species. However, when their populations erupt in good years, they do wander from their breeding grounds. I have seen them in wealden woods before but it still seems odd to see one flying around a marshy meadow about 5 miles from its nearest downland colony.

Chalkhill Blue (Polyommatus coridon) (male)

Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae)

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)

Peacock (Aglais io)

Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) (male)

Emperor Dragonfly (Anax imperator) (male)