Ragwort control on the South Downs, Wolstonbury Hill, Friday 6 July 2018

 Armed with garden fork, muscle power and big bags the Friends of Wolstonbury were hard at it removing Ragwort.  I tackled an area on the slope of the hill where we had worked the previous year.

 Down in the valley colleagues were hard at work.

Scabious

A buzzard family mewed overhead soaring on the breeze.

 Cinnabar moth caterpillars had reduced many plants to bare stems.

 Marbled White butterflies were very common.

 And grasshoppers too.

 In the track to the hill Nettle-leaved Bellflower was flowering.

 It was hot, exhausting work and because of the heat, I finished early at 12.30hr.  The physical activity had large benefits in reducing my blood pressure and heart rate afterwards, which is better than pills any day.  Bitter or Pils... now that is another matter.

Damselflies (White-legged; Azure; and Common) & Dragonflies (Emperor and Black-tailed Skimmers) at Newdigate Brickworks, Surrey, UK and some birds too!

 Newdigate Brickworks https://www.surreywildlifetrust.org/nature-reserves/newdigate-brickworks is a marvellous nature reserve: quite small yet with diverse habitats and species.

 The lakes are flanked by some mature trees and much bird life.

 Above and below a Great Spotted Woodpecker for example.

 The reason for our visit today was Dragonflies and Damselflies.  There were lots: difficult to photograph at times and I have no idea what is in the photo above.

 This, however shows patches of green and blue, which suggests it might be an Emperor Dragonfly.

No doubts here -- a Black-tailed Skimmer, Orthetrum cancellatum.

 Azure Blue Damselflies were abundant: scores of them...

copulating in their mating "wheel position".

 Common Blue Damselflies were a little less comon today.

 Whilst White-legged Damselfly, Platycnemis pennipes were relatively numerous.

 A juvenile Great Crested Grebe (above) and Coot (below) were on the lake.

 As were Mallards and a solitary Canadian Goose.

 A Morehen too.

 And a Buzzard circled the adjacent woods while we were there.

There is a convenient car park at the reserve entrance of this jewel of a reserve just north of Gatwick airport westerly flight path,  It is well worth a visit for naturalists of diverse interests,

Butterflies of the Seven Sisters, East Sussex, UK on 29 June 2018 -- especially Dark Green Fritillaries, Painted Ladies, Marbled Whites and Burnet moths.

View to Belle Tout lighthouse and Beachy Head

 It was a great pleasure to meet up with François Piolino again and to walk Crowlink - two of the Seven Sisters (Brass point and Rough Brow) - Lime Kiln Bottom - Foxhole bottom - Friston Forest.

White butterfly on Mignonette

 Spot the butterfly.

 A Painted Lady, an apposite butterfly to see on this day as tenor François Piolino is currently appearing in Madama Butterfly at Glynebourne.

 Centaury with a Burnet moth.

 At least twelve Dark Green Fritillaries were flying around.  One copulating pair were blown out to sea by the strong northerly wind on their nuptial flight.

 Day-flying Burnet Moth on Viper's Bugloss flower.

 Small? Skipper.

 Large Skipper, Burnet moth and Marbled White on Viper's bugloss, Echium vulgare.

Meadow Brown at High and Over.

Marbled White with a parasitic tick at High and Over.

Also at High & Over, our County flower -- the beautiful "Pride of Sussex"

Also seen but not photographed were Small Coppers and possibly a Ringlet in the Forest.  Birds seen included a Flycatcher and two Meadow Pipits. 

However, the driver for this walk was orchids: Burnt Orchids, Pyramidal and Broad-leaved Helleborines, which will be covered in a separate entry.