Brownies and a tragedy

Brown Hairstreak, Thecla betulae

to view a gallery with more photos, click here

I have been visiting the prime Brown Hairstreak site at Steyning daily and on Friday they were falling out of the trees and laying eggs on the prunus. I saw 4 females and there were at least 2 more seen by other people. On the way down the path I found James photographing a male BH which was nectaring on brambles high up on top of a prunus hedge. This is only the second time I have seen a male.

  Yesterday it was very hot, and the BHs did not tumble out as before and I did not see any, though some were observed by others. I spotted a dead female Stag Beetle on a dock leaf as we walked off the hill which looked like it was placed there. Richard reported 7 Brown Hairstreaks at another site which Mark and I checked out later with no success.

  On the way home I heard on the radio about the tragedy when a jet crashed onto the A27 at the nearby Shoreham Air Show. People were driving along and wiped out in an instant. These aerial acrobatics should be banned.

  Today it is raining hard so I will be forced to watch the second part of day 2 of the Bejing World Athletics Championships live :) - Mo Farah was supreme yesterday and Jess Ennis-Hill is looking good.

Steyning Coombe August 20:

Common Blue ♀, Polyommatus icarus

Common Blue ♀

Common Blues

Common Carpet, Epirrhoe alternata

Dexter cattle were grazing the coombe

Ear Fungus, Auricularia auricula-judae

Meadow Brown, Maniola jurtina

Nettle-leaved Bellflower, Campanula trachelium

Painted Lady, Vanessa cardui

Red Admiral, Vanessa atalanta

Small Purple and Gold, Pyrausta aurata

Straw Dot, Rivula sericealis

Steyning August 21:

22-Spot Ladybird, Psyllobora vigintiduopunctata

Azure Damselfly ♀, Coenagrion puella

Brown Argus, Aricia agestis

Brown Hairstreak high up, Thecla betulae

Brown Hairstreak

Brown Hairstreak egg

Common Blue Damselfly ♂, Enallagma cyathigerum

Common Blue ♀, Polyommatus icarus with Red Mite larva, Trombidium breei

Common Grass-veneer, Agriphila tristella

Common Lizard, Zootoca vivipara

Lesser Treble-bar, Aplocera efformata

Common Damselbug nymph, Nabis rugosus

Small Copper, Lycaena phlaeas

Small Copper

Small Heaths mating, Coenonympha pamphilus

Small Tortoiseshell, Aglais urticae

Speckled Wood, Pararge aegeria

Speckled Woods are one of the butterflies that react to the pre-flash and instantly takes off before the actual flash. This is one of those cases.

view from Steyning Coombe

Steyning August 22:

Common Purple and Gold, Pyrausta purpuralis

Silver-washed Fritillary ♀, Argynnis paphia

tiny weevil (3mm) id needed

Stag Beetle ♀, Lucanus cervus