The Suffolk Argus
The North Downs Way. Sunday lJth August, 2000 By Alan Johnson. A rather overcast, warm and humid day saw six of otir members meet in the car park at Dorking Station, then, after a short walk to the nearby Deepdene Station, we duly caught the mid-day train for our 'Great Train Journey'. Ten minutes to Gomshall, courtesy of Thames Trains, with one of our group admitting to the fact that it was the first trip on a train since the era of steam! On arrival at Gomshall we met two other members, who had stayed overnight in the nearby village of Shere. We were now ready to start our walk back to Dorking, most of the route being up on the North Downs Way. First we had to make the steep ascent using a tree lined, chalky and deeply rutted track from the village- not an easy task for us Suffolk 'softies', used to ground level!
Commas' by BerylJohnson
16
Spring 2001
Or first sighting was a Speckled Wood, then while pausing briefly by a field edge thick with thistles and meadowsweet, Peacock, Comma, Meadow Brown and Large White were noted. Onward and upward, with ; breather being taken at Hackhurst Down, a reserve rich with downland flora, marjoram, basil, harebell and scabious. Buckthorn, guelder rose and wild privet also being noted. Here we saw female Brimstone, Common Blue, Chalkhill Blue, Brown Argus, a Painted Lady on hemp agrimony and Gatekeeper. Our path eventually reached its junction with rhe North Downs Way, level ground at last, a good spot to recover and have our picnic lunches, also a good vantage point to admire the views across the Surrey countryside towards the distant South Downs. Now somewhat refreshed, we continued along a grassy track, through an area of small oak trees, one of which treating us ro a view of a Purple Hairstreak, also noted in this area were Essex Skipper, Small Skipper, Large White and a male Brimstone. Further on, we left the main track and dropped downhill onto Blatchford Down, the short springy turf with patches of chalk scree providing the conditions for on of our 'target Species', rhe Silverspotted Skipper. By the rime we had walked the length of the Down, everyone had had good views of this, one of our latest butterflies to emerge, their flight being rapid and darting, with visits to late summer flowers or basking on the parches of scree.
Deadly Lavender by GeoffHayes
Marbled Whites
The first two weeks of July this year were spent on a family holiday in the Dordogne/ lot region of France. Unfortunately butterfly watching had to take second place to family duties, but meadows with hundreds of Marbled Whites and dozens of Clouded Yellows, Scarce Swallowtails and Silver-washed Fritillaries could hardly be ignored. A return visit, with butterflies as a priority, is a definite 'must' for the future. A large clump of lavender in the garden of our holiday cottage was always worth a 'nicotine watch' (being a pariah sometimes has its uses) as it attracted large numbers of both Scarce Swallowtails and Swallowtails, and amazing numbers of Hummingbird Hawkrnorhs. On one occasion my attention was drawn to a Scarce Swallowtail vigorously beating its wings as if in flight, bur remaining on the lavender. As I moved in for a closer look the wing beats subsided and the butterfly perched with open wings. I then noticed a pale, greenish white blob beneath its thorax. I gently prised it up with a twig and the butterfly toppled co the ground, revealing a female crab spider (Misumenavacia). I would not normally interfere in such a natural event, but having retrieved the now paralysed butterfly I decided to give it to my grandson to add to his collection of road casualties and pool drownings and placed it on a windowsill inside the cottage. Three days later I went to pack it into a box and was surprised to find char although it had not moved before, it was still able to slowly raise its wings and move its legs. Obviously the injection it had received was a very powerful, long acting immobiliser. When we left for home the crab spider was still on the lavender, waiting to ambush another unsuspecting victim - c' est la vie!
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