09-09-2023
Brimstone (1)
Small White (7)
Small Copper (15)
Brown Argus (2)
Common Blue (4)
Adonis Blue (3)
Red Admiral (1)
Painted Lady (1)
Speckled Wood (1)
Meadow Brown (5)
Small Heath (14)
14.00 - 14.45. Wow. I need to brush up on my map-reading skills, because I have poured over the map for this area countless times, and missed this set of hidden steep-sided valleys which would not look out of place in Austria or Switzerland, an impression reinforced by the presence of an Alpine-style hut at the head of one of them, I am guessing the home of a local shooting club. Lots of wild basil, ragwort, Devil's bit and small scabious still flowering, and a range of grazing regimes in the different fenced-off compartments. There are times when just the scenery is enough, and a single butterfly would be a bonus, but 11 species including 15 SCs made for a delightful decent from Old Shaftesbury Drove into Broad Chalk. A pint of Rude Giant in the Queen's Head while waiting for the bus was the perfect end to a day on the Chase. Will be worth visiting at different times next year to see what else is present on the valley slopes.
Simon Crampin