20 or more members of the society walked south from Chawton Church. The main target was White-Letter Hairstreak Butterfly . This is an Elm specialist, and there are a few small-medium elms surviving by the A32, with others which have fallen victim to Dutch Elm Disease. This strikes once they reach a certain size. Some of the party were rewarded with sightings of three buzzing around the top of one of the trees. A single Silver-washed fritillary was watched at the top of the field, and 20+ Marbled Whites were also present.
There has been a major influx of Painted Ladies in the last few weeks with most pretty tatty implying they are newly arrived across the English Channel.
22-spot ladybird
Small Skippers:
On the way to the walk we found this moribund Lesser Stag Beetle squashed at the entrance to Ackender Wood in Whitedown Lane, Alton:
The A31 Alton Bypass is a good site for wild flowers with 100's of orchids - Pyramidal mostly and some Common Spotted. Pyramidal Orchids at Chawton roundabout:
The path through the field to the southwest from the roundabout had interest. There is a line of very young elms which are worth checking. A nice weedy corner was full of poppies:
and some arable weeds were present:
This long-horn beetle and Meadow Brown were sharing a bramble flower:
Wild strawberry along the wall in Chawton village...
