Apr 2011
Orchids
28/04/11 13:00 Filed in: Sightings
It lovely to see the Early Purple Orchids starting to come into flower on the Rifle Range.
Hopefully the start of another wonderful display for this year.
Another new butterfly for this year, several Small Heaths both on the Rifle Range & the Steyning Coombe.
I don’t know if they’ve always been here in such numbers and hidden from view by the tall grasses that used to swamp the Rifle Range, but there seem to be many more Cowslips about this year scattered over both slopes.
I also saw 3x Red Admirals, another Grizzled Skipper
& a Speckled Wood.
PV
Hopefully the start of another wonderful display for this year.
Another new butterfly for this year, several Small Heaths both on the Rifle Range & the Steyning Coombe.
I don’t know if they’ve always been here in such numbers and hidden from view by the tall grasses that used to swamp the Rifle Range, but there seem to be many more Cowslips about this year scattered over both slopes.
I also saw 3x Red Admirals, another Grizzled Skipper
& a Speckled Wood.
PV
Random Observations
21/04/11 12:12 Filed in: Sightings
Here are a few random & unscientific observations I have made while wandering randomly over the SDS site recently.
My butterfly sightings so far this year have included a good number of species, but not in large numbers. I have seen, roughly in date order:
Peacock, Brimstone, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma, Orange Tip, Speckled Wood, Grizzled Skipper, Dingy Skipper, Green Hairstreak & Small White.
So far I’ve only managed ID photos such as these:
Grizzled Skipper
Dingy Skipper
Green Hairstreak
Small Tortoiseshell
I have seen & heard lots of Chiffchaffs & Whitethroats this spring. They seem to be more numerous than recent years. Yellowhammers are also doing well, often seen in the scrub on the Rifle Range.
For the first time today I saw a couple of Red-legged Partridge on the Steyning Coombe.
There have been hundreds of Bee-flies about. I’ve never really noticed them before. They seem to have evolved to look like bees, presumably to put off potential predators. Amazing proboscis!
There are lots of Common Lizards about, both on the Rifle Range & the Steyning Coombe. I have failed to get a photo this year so here’s one from last year:
I’m hopeless at botany, but I have found again the small patch of Adders Tongue Fern (Ophioglossum Vulgatum) on the Rifle Range. Supposedly an indicator of ancient meadows, it also apparently likes damp conditions and usually first appears in June. Here it is on dry chalk downland in April:
Can anyone help identify this, growing in the same vicinity as the Adders Tongue:
If you know what it is, please let me know: sdsblog@me.com
Orchids are on their way with the first already flowering, namely the Twayblades:
These are easily overlooked as the flowers are green. Definitely worth a close look.
PV
My butterfly sightings so far this year have included a good number of species, but not in large numbers. I have seen, roughly in date order:
Peacock, Brimstone, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma, Orange Tip, Speckled Wood, Grizzled Skipper, Dingy Skipper, Green Hairstreak & Small White.
So far I’ve only managed ID photos such as these:
Grizzled Skipper
Dingy Skipper
Green Hairstreak
Small Tortoiseshell
I have seen & heard lots of Chiffchaffs & Whitethroats this spring. They seem to be more numerous than recent years. Yellowhammers are also doing well, often seen in the scrub on the Rifle Range.
For the first time today I saw a couple of Red-legged Partridge on the Steyning Coombe.
There have been hundreds of Bee-flies about. I’ve never really noticed them before. They seem to have evolved to look like bees, presumably to put off potential predators. Amazing proboscis!
There are lots of Common Lizards about, both on the Rifle Range & the Steyning Coombe. I have failed to get a photo this year so here’s one from last year:
I’m hopeless at botany, but I have found again the small patch of Adders Tongue Fern (Ophioglossum Vulgatum) on the Rifle Range. Supposedly an indicator of ancient meadows, it also apparently likes damp conditions and usually first appears in June. Here it is on dry chalk downland in April:
Can anyone help identify this, growing in the same vicinity as the Adders Tongue:
If you know what it is, please let me know: sdsblog@me.com
Orchids are on their way with the first already flowering, namely the Twayblades:
These are easily overlooked as the flowers are green. Definitely worth a close look.
PV
Ponds & Bridges
07/04/11 11:46 Filed in: Sightings
Went for a nightime walk around the ponds accompanied by Bev Wadge from the Sussex Biodiversity Records Centre. Looking into ponds at night using powerful torches is a great way to see what’s there. We saw several Eels, 3 Palmate Newts, lots of freshwater shrimps, snails, pond fleas, & some diving beetles. Not a huge amount of biodiversity, but this is probably due to the lack of aquatic plants in and around the ponds. This might be helped by cutting back some of the overhanging trees & scrub & letting some light into the area. The only plant we found in the water was some Water Mint. We will soon be doing an invertebrate survey to find out if there are other species lurking unseen.
The new bridge over the stream by the dam is now complete and should make it much easier to get across.
I also saw my first Speckled Wood butterfly of the year up by the Flint Barn, a very tatty specimen!
Quite a few other butterflies about, Brimstones, Small Tortoiseshells, Commas & this lovely Peacock.
PV
The new bridge over the stream by the dam is now complete and should make it much easier to get across.
I also saw my first Speckled Wood butterfly of the year up by the Flint Barn, a very tatty specimen!
Quite a few other butterflies about, Brimstones, Small Tortoiseshells, Commas & this lovely Peacock.
PV
Reptiles Again
04/04/11 10:02 Filed in: Sightings
I found these Slow Worms (Anguis fragilis) along with an Adder this morning. Slow Worms are, in fact, legless lizards, not snakes, and are totally harmless. These are, I think, a male & a female, the female having the stripe down her back.
Now where’s that Grass Snake!
I also found this:
Not being much of a botanist, I’ve no idea what it is. You can enlighten me at sdsblog@me.com
PV
Now where’s that Grass Snake!
I also found this:
Not being much of a botanist, I’ve no idea what it is. You can enlighten me at sdsblog@me.com
PV
Snake in the Grass
03/04/11 10:01 Filed in: Sightings
It was good to find this young adder (Vipera Berus) warming up on the slopes of the Rifle Range this morning. It can easily be identified by the zig-zag pattern down its back, and by the vertically slit pupil clearly visible in this photo. This one was quite small, probably only 30cm long.
I’ve noticed many common lizards (Zootoca Vivipara) here again this year which are a food species for the adders.
We will be doing a reptile survey soon to get an idea of our populations.
PV