Pewsey Downs


I spent all of yesterday wandering the slopes of Pewsey Downs in Wiltshire, a return to my ancestral roots. From the top of Milk, Walker's and Knapp Hill, you can look southwards across the fertile plains towards Salisbury Plain or north through farmland peppered with burial mounds and standing stones. It is a world of big skies and lay lines, a place with one foot still firmly in the past.


From a distance it appears an unbroken green. But if you venture into the steep-sided valleys, or contour you way around a hill, you will soon come across the chalk downland flowers, in places a riot of colour. Orchids carpet the ground, with Common Spotted numbering well into six figures.



Apart from the ubiquitous Common Spotted I also recorded Frog (two individuals showing the variation in colour above), Lesser Butterfly (below, just going over), Bee, Chalk Fragrant and Pyramidal. I have seen Burnt here, but they are a late flowerer at this site.


Although the day was sunny and hot, the south-westerly breeze picked up as the day wore on, that kept butterflies and moths down. However, at least 20 Cistus Foresters (below) were found, some posing well for the obligatory portrait, which showed off the clubbed antennae.



I was particularly pleased to find Down Shieldbug (Canthophorus impressus) which is scarce nationally due to its foodplant, Bastard-toadflax, being of limited range. Pewsey has a fair amount of this plant, and out of six 'mats' checked, two revealed the shieldbug (below).

Comments

Gill Hollamby said…
Well done, Steve. I feel another inland jaunt coming on!
15 June 2017 at 14:45
Steve Gale said…
I must admit Gill that I thought of both you and Dave when I found the shield bugs - in fact, I gave him a call as I was watching them!
15 June 2017 at 15:59
Simon Douglas Thompson said…
Vivid colours on a beautiful day
15 June 2017 at 17:47
Steve Gale said…
It is a wonderful place Simon
15 June 2017 at 18:17
Derek Faulkner said…
What a superb area of countryside, amazing. You seem to be drawn to orchids like a magnet, it's a huge regret to me that we don't have any here on Sheppey.
15 June 2017 at 19:43
Steve Gale said…
An open invitation Derek, if you are up my way then do get in touch and we can go and look at some.
15 June 2017 at 20:09
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