For illustrated talks on natural history and history see www.peterlovetttalks.co.uk

For illustrated talks on natural history and history click here for www.peterlovetttalks.co.uk

Tuesday 6 July 2010

A 10.5 miles Seven Sisters - Jevington - Friston forest walk with a profusion of butterflies and flowers.

This walk, from the Mid Sussex Ramblers program was lead by Sue.  We walked some of the Seven Sisters before heading inland to Friston.
Here are three sisters on the Seven Sisters admiring Pyramidal-orchids.
Yellow horned poppies were in flower.
Marbled white butterflies were abundant - here sharing a Greater Knapweed with two mating Six-spot Burnet moths.
Click on any picture to expand it.  If you can't quite see how the moths mate...below is a different camera angle.  This photography is a bit intrusive but they didn't seem to mind as they didn't stop what they were doing.
A Buff-tailed Bumble bee flew in too.
Hundreds of fritillary butterflies were flying around, yet never seemed to settle.  So I had to settle for this shot of one in flight.
We stopped for a break on top of the cliffs where this beetle joined me.
What a beauty.  It looks like a Summer Chafer beetle, which is reported as often in large numbers in July.  Eggs are laid in the ground and development takes three years.  Welcome to the Seven Sisters Amphimallon solstitialis, you little chafer.
Viper's-bugloss, Echium vulgare was still stunning.
It was even more showy inland.
Overlooking Jevington was this vibrant bank of Willowherbs.
A Small tortoiseshell.
 These are probably Meadow browns.
This looks like one of the Skipper butterflies.  They all really love the Knapweed flowers.
The rambling group, having climbed the hill from Jevington, entered Friston forest.
Our leader Sue and chair of the Mid Sussex group of The Ramblers.
The view of the Cuckmere valley from above Exceat -- what a finale to a great walk, taking precisely 5.5hr as predicted at the outset.  Many thanks Sue.

No comments:

Blog Archive