Castle Hill LNR, Newhaven: transect walk, week 24

Friday 12th September 2014 - a lovely afternoon spent walking along the transect route. Sunny (90%), warm (20°C), a bit of an easterly breeze but very warm in the more sheltered spots. Crickets and grasshoppers were buzzing in the grass and scrub, shieldbugs basking in the sun - but if you are looking at those then you are not focusing on the butterflies and moths!

Peacock (Inachis io)

White Bryony (Bryonia dioica)

Coreus marginatus Dock Bug

 

Field Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis)

Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum) berries

 

Butterflies (12 species, 330 adults)
Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus)  9
Large White (Pieris brassicae)  59
Small White (Pieris rapae)  190
Green-veined White (Pieris napi)  3
Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas)  5
Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus)  14
Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)  8
Peacock (Inachis io)  5
Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)  26
Wall (Lasiommata megera)  4
Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina)  3
Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus)  4

Moths (6 species, 27 adults)

Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer (Agriphila geniculea)  22
Yellow Belle (Semiaspilates ochrearia)  2
Vapourer (Orgyia antiqua)  1
Brown-tail (Euproctis chrysorrhoea)  216 larval webs
Ruby Tiger (Phragmatobia fuliginosa)  1
Silver Y (Autographa gamma)  1

Sphaerophoria scripta hoverfly

Other observations
The area of vegetated shingle to the west of the slumps beneath the cliffs is becoming more established. I wonder whether this will develop to emulate the flora along the coast at Shoreham Beach?

The area of vegetated shingle looking east and west below the cliffs, plus Sea Rocket (Cakile maritima).