NORTH DOWNS & BEYOND

Sat hello to Cydalima perspectalis , otherwise known as the Boxworm Moth . It was first recorded in the UK some 10 years ago, but has only just started to spread out across the home counties and further afield. This Asian species was most probably imported with its foodplant, Box, but here lies the problem... it can be a pest on Box, which, when involving the cultivated specimens in people's gardens is merely an inconvenience... but let these moths loose on Box Hill and surrounds, then it could cause quite a problem for the truly wild, and local, Box. So when I found one nestled in the bottom of the garden MV this morning it was a mixture of delight (never seen one before) and horror (I'm not that far, as the moth flies from wild Box.)

Langley Vale Farm was awash with the colour red this morning, as a number of the fields that have been allowed to 'rewild' have found that the Common Poppy has taken a liking to them. In a few corners Opium Poppy is the dominant species, and in between this festival of poppies are huge numbers of Common Field Speedwell, Scarlet Pimpernel, Field Pansy, Black Bindweed... I could go on. Needless to say, it is a visual feast. Also on show (and carrying on the red theme) were a minimum of nine Red Hemp-nettles (below), freshly coming into flower. This is a screaming rarity in the county.

I recently mentioned that we have lived in our house for almost 30 years, and during that time have run a moth trap in the garden. It seems a good time to look back over those 'mothing years' and try and pick out any themes, trends, surprises, gains and losses. One post cannot do it justice, so thought I'd kick it all off with a look at the site itself. On August 14th 1987, Katrina and I moved into our three bedroomed house in Banstead, northern Surrey. It is an area that could best be described as 'leafy suburbia', positioned between Banstead Downs and Epsom Downs, relatively high on the chalk, and surrounded by 1930s housing. Most of the houses nearby had mature gardens, varying in sizes. Ours was well stocked with plants, had a 30ft front and 90ft back garden, which butted up to an area of 'wild' ground. A mature ash tree, a Lawson's Cypress and a small pond were further features. During the past thirty years there have been changes - the wild ...

Only the second record for the garden. Enjoy.

One of the fascinating aspects of running an MV at the same site over a number of years is to experience the changes of fortune across the species that are being recorded. This August will see the 30th anniversary of us moving to our house in Banstead, and I have run a trap in the garden throughout - plenty of bloggage material there! As a taster, here is a species that has seen a big increase in the incidence of it being recorded and the numbers of individuals trapped - Beautiful Hook-tip. Over the past 10 days I have recorded it daily, with up to three in a single night. Back in 1987, this was but a dream moth, not appearing in the garden until the mid-1990s and could only be regarded as annual these past five years. The data is full of winners and losers. It makes fascinating reading. I will post more later in the summer.

I visited Priest Hill SWT Reserve for the first time since early May this afternoon, which fortuitously coincided with a Surrey Botanical Society field trip. The society were there to survey the chalk scrapes, which are being steadily colonised by flowers - some plants by natural means, and other species by deliberate spreading of seed, such as the Broad-leaved Cudweed (above). This species is just clinging on at nearby Banstead Downs, but only just. Seed taken from here, by licence, and then spread at Priest Hill safeguards its future just in case the small colony nearby does succumb. More Broad-leaved Cudweed, with the leaves overtopping the heads, plus yellow-tipped bracts. The spread of Kidney Vetch (below) has been spectacular, which has resulted in the colonisation of the site by the Small Blue butterfly. None were seen today, although the dull and breezy conditions did not help in my search for them. It was good to catch up with the SBS team, and a pleasure to spend ...

The heatwave continues, with the Met Office suggesting that here in the south-east we might be hitting 34C today. This mornings check of the garden MV was disappointing. Before the weather conditions became too oppressive, I visited Juniper Bottom (to the NE of Box Hill) that offered a handful of Dark Green and Silver-washed Fritillaries, and then the Box Hill zig-zag, where up to 400 Marbled Whites (above) and 60+ Dark Green Fritillaries danced above the grassy slopes. I also came across 5 spikes of Musk Orchid (below) - without my DSLR, the bridge camera struggled to focus on the plant, as it blended in seamlessly with the grass stems in front, alongside and behind it! A single Marsh Tit was heard calling. Also present at both sites were a number of Banded Demoiselle (below), some way from water, the nearest source being the River Mole, some half mile away. This female can be told from the similar Beautiful Demoiselle by exhibiting a white (and not buff) spot near the tip o...