Far from a Dingy day at Denbies

I went on a guided walk around Denbies Hillside yesterday, looking for butterflies specifically. I was particularly hoping to see Dingy Skipper, and maybe Grizzled too, both being new to me.

I needn't have worried, as in perfect conditions, both were seen easily, with Dingys being particularly numerous. We also found lots of Green Haristreaks, Adonis Blues and Brown Argus. The butterfly list was completed with Small Heath, Large White, Holly Blue, Common Blue, Peacock, Red Admiral, Brimestone, Speckled Wood, and Small White.

In addition, we also saw lots of other interesting insects, including Burnet Companion, Mother Shipton, 5-spot Burnet and Clouded Buff moths, and a smart Rose Chafer beetle. The rarest sighting of the day however was a Lace Border moth, a species very difficult to see away from the Downs.

In the blistering heat, most of the insects were jumpy and very difficult to photo, so I only managed these.

An odd 5-spot Burnet

Green Hairstreak

The view from Denbies, across the Surrey countryside