It's time for the Hairy violet .. flowering now in profusion especially on chalk grassland.
Apart from being pretty, they are life support to many flying insects at present & the only larval food plant for the Dark Green & High Brown fritillary butterflies.
#wildflora
#insects
#chalkgrasslands
With their thin soils and moisture-sensitive vegetation, #ChalkGrasslands don’t just reflect the seasons - they amplify them.
It makes them the ideal sentinel landscape - showing not just seasonal changes, but wider environmental trends.
#Phenology #ClimateAndNature #WildClocks
and still Blue is hanging on .. in the #chalkgrasslands
#CommonBlue
#butterflies
#SouthDowns
Nature needs more of her chalk lands returned to her!
Ohooo .. I'll be very personally interested in this one Guy as the chalk downland of the South Downs is my passion and primary stomping ground!
#chalkgrasslands need to be constantly elevated & highlighted for their bio-richness and need of expansion, restoration & rewilding!
Thank you!
A #Harebell growing in a dung-enriched #anthill in the chalk grasslands of #NewtimberHill, highlighting & not disguising I hope the vital ecological importance of the #rabbit & the #meadowant in shaping the diversity of our #chalkgrasslands.
Nature needs more of her chalk lands returned to her.
Breezy day on #SouthDowns today & most of the seed stars have turned to burnished gold.
Yet a few buds revived by days & nights of rain were glowing magenta & all the #bumblebees & many #flies, it seemed, had found their way to feast on #GreaterKnapweed crowns in the sun-bleached #chalkgrasslands.
Blue ribbon on golden stars.
#CommonBlue #butterflies
#Greaterknapweed #seedheads #botany
in the #chalkgrasslands
Nature needs more of her chalk lands returned to her!
This August is definitely #SmallCopper time in the #chalkgrasslands!
Adore this gem, all 36-40mm of its loveliness. It's normally speedy but today they were either keeping out of wind down on the chalky paths, looking like orange bows among grass ribbons. or feeding in swaying favourite flowers.
Seed heads with some visitors in the #chalkgrasslands today ..
A gentle reminder not to be too eager to deadhead your garden ..
#butterflies .. and other insects .. 💜 💙🤎 seed heads!
Cool and somewhat bolshie-looking Small Copper on Fleabane seed-head this morning along #Dykeapproach path .. sporting his (or her 🙄) Lennon-esque sunglasses
#attitude
Teeming with #butterflies in the #chalkgrasslands
Lots of the white form of the "Sore throat" plant aka #Squinancywort (Asperula cynanchica), a member of the Bedstraw family & v easily overlooked, in the #chalkgrasslands on #NewtimberHill at the moment.
A chalk & limestone restricted plant.
Nature needs more of her chalk lands returned to her!
Small Copper competing with Common Blue for attention perhaps ..
#butterflies in the #chalkgrasslands of #NewtimberHill
Lots of both of these butterflies about now.
Nature needs more of her chalk lands returned to her!
Just this for #wildflowerhour this week as it is so stunning!
The shining seed head of that July stalwart of our #chalkgrasslands, the #GreaterKnapweed, still in flower here and there and still feeding the #insects.
Along #DykeAppoach path in Sussex.
Watch again: @itvmeridian's report on #Chilterns farmer Andrew Stubbings receiving Local Wildlife Site designation for his entire 225 hectare farm. 🌿
👉Watch now: https://bit.ly/3OOZ3aP
#orchids #chalkgrasslands #regenerativefarming #farm
@ChilternsCCC @HeritageFundUK
For #worldcoleopteraweekend, Nettle Weevils (Phyllobius pomaceus), conspicuous jewels this week on #NewmarketHeath #chalkgrasslands, here on Red Clover.
Thanks @SuffolkBIS for the id & helpful link to weevil id guides https://tinyurl.com/weevilguides
#nettleweevil #weevil...
