Ramblings, photos and thoughts from the village of Bepton, West Sussex – plus Midhurst, The South Downs, Chichester and surrounding areas.
I like to leave some apples under the tree for nature to enjoy. Blackbirds and thrushes enjoy a rotting apple, and so does my dog! But yesterday in the autumn sunshine it was the butterflies that were making the most of it. And hundreds of Green Bottle flies too.
Bepton Down is just below The South Downs Way on a north facing slope with stunning views towards Midhurst and beyond. It should be 14 hectares of extraordinary habitat, home to protected species of plants and grasses – and one of the few remaining areas of chalk downland in West Sussex.
Even though Bepton Down has an SSSI status it has been neglected and it is now reverting to a mixture of scrub, wasteland and coarse vegetation. The steady decline of this SSSI has been overseen by Cowdray Estate and regulated by Natural England.
Please help me raise awareness about the decline of Bepton Down by sharing this article.
Thank you.
Maybe I’m easily distracted. Or maybe I spend too much time looking out of the window, but earlier this afternoon I saw a dot in the sky that had me running for my camera. And the reason I ran was because I knew this bird was something special. This wasn’t any old bird. This bird was a Falcon. Continue reading “Peregrine or Hobby Falcon?”
I’ve genuinely struggled to get a photo of the villain that’s been reeking havoc in the garden. I’m sorry, but this best I can do for you.
When I originally posted this photo on Twitter I got into trouble for describing this Slow Worm as a ‘him’. She is of course a ‘her’. As a result I’d like to apologise to all female Slow Worms for getting this wrong – and explain to others how to spot the difference between a lady Slow Worm from a man.
This ‘pincushion’ in the hedgerows is a gall from a wasp that lays eggs in the stems of wild roses.
Hummingbird Hawkmoths migrate to the UK every year from southern Europe and north Africa. If you’ve ever seen one you’ll know why they get their name. In fact, so closely do they resemble a Hummingbird the RSPB gets phone calls every summer from bewildered gardeners reporting actual sitings of Hummingbirds!
Continue reading “Why are we seeing so many Hummingbird Hawkmoths?”
It’s so easy to get distracted by the butterflies in the garden. And this summer is turning out to be a great year for being sidetracked with butterfly numbers much higher than previous years.
Here’s a Brimstone. They’re traditionally one of the early butterflies and can be seen right through Spring and Summer in hedgerows and gardens. Brimstones have a single brood, and they’re a hibernating butterfly. They’ll spend the winter in ivy, holly and bramble, re-emerging early in Spring to breed.
Here’s a photo of a gorgeous Peacock in the garden. Peacocks are common enough, but this year they are swarming in our garden!
Today was a very special day for me. Because today I saw a Purple Emperor for the very first time. Which is pretty special, because I’ve been looking for one of these elusive butterflies since I was about ten years old. As a small boy browsing through my Observer’s Book of British Butterflies, the Purple Emperor and the Camberwell Beauty were the butterflies that dreams were made of. And today – after many years of looking – my dream finally came true!
