Tuesday 26th. April 2011

Just 12C. on the car thermometer , as I arrived up on the Downs this morning , and with a stiff breeze blowing from the NE , even when the sun peered through , it was still cool . I wondered if the different conditions would produce different results with the reptiles , but apart from a large female Adder , that I have been expecting to see for the last few visits , nothing had changed . Just her , 9 Slow Worms and a single Common Lizard , was all that was recorded today . It was a good job that some of the flowers had come into flower , including the Horseshoe Vetch/Hippocrepis comosa , similar to Bird's-foot-Trefoil , which is also flowering , but not so robust . An important plant , as it is the foodplant of the Chalkhill Blue which will hopefully on the wing in July/August . Also in flower this visit was it's relation Sainfoin/Onobrychis viciifolia , the pair of them being members of the Pea family . Even in the cool conditions , I recorded my first Small Heath of the year , a pristine male . The conditions didn't stop the business in hand for this female Green Hairstreak ( sorry Warren ) , as she meticulously chose where she was going to lay her eggs . The species will use several plants , Dogwood , Broom , Gorse , Bird's-foot-trefoil , or , as in this case Common Rock Rose . I watched her for quite some time , and after she moved on , I found one of those eggs that she had laid , tucked down in the tender new leaves of the plant .
Day flying moths were also found in numbers , with 15+ Treble Bar , 5+ Burnet Companion , pictured , so it won't be long before the Burnet Moths show , as it's name denotes , and yet another member of the Pyrausta family , P. nigrata , although they shouldn't be on the wing for another month , several were seen today . Before leaving , a check on the Early Purple Orchids revealed 44 flower spikes , with most flowers now fully open . On the bottom track , 1000s of tiny yellow flowers on the Crosswort has turned the green ground vegetation yellow .
Two species found need some searching , but I'll post them whilst doing so , an insect with Wasp markings on the abdomen and orange legs and antennae , and after much digging and head scratching , I think this Wasp-like insect is in fact a Bee - Nomada goodeniana . I'm sure this has come up before , just a shame the old grey matter can't retain the information these days .
and a moth , which I think is not a day flier , as it was being buffeted about by that wind badly .
Once again , I am endebted to Dean/DDD , who has identified the moth as a Lace Border , thanks Dean .