A cloudy, warm and windy day, +28° C. Been to Banstead Downs in Belmont.
Chalkhill Blues (Lysandra coridon) are emerging, only males seen so far:
A mating pair of Tolmerus atricapillus robber-flies:
Banstead Downs
A cloudy day that turned into a sunny evening, +27° C.
Went for an evening sunshine walk to Belmont.
No Chalkhill Blues (Lysandra coridon) on the downland! None at all! They are fully out now at Box Hill, and I saw copious amounts here two years ago. Was it an unsuccessful reintroduction attempt, or do they emerge later in the year here than on the sharp scarp of Box Hill?
Well, a negative result is still a result…
Lots of worn Marbled Whites (Melanargia galathea) and Six-spot Burnets (Zygaena filipendulae). The latter:
Brimstones (Gonepteryx rhamni) are fuelling up before aestivation:
Banstead Downs
A mostly cloudy day with some sunny spells, +14° C. Been to Banstead Downs in Belmont.
An Andrena haemorrhoa bee male:
A Green Longhorn Moth (Adela reaumurella) male:
Banstead Downs
Been to Belmont.
A very windy day, insects are only seen in the most sheltered of places. Quite cold, too: when the sun goes behind a cloud, solitary bees sit on dandelions in a state of lethargy, very easy to inspect/collect/whatever.
An Eristalis pertinax hoverfly:
Banstead Downs
Been to Banstead Downs near Belmont, a chalk downland nature reserve just outside of London.
The place swarms with Chalkhill Blues (Lysandra coridon):
Vlad Proklov's wildlife blog 