Levin Down, Singleton

Leader: Rob Eadie (Volunteer Reserve Manager)

We were immediately entertained by a Kestrel making repeated attempts – but failing – to take a House Martin from among a substantial flock. As we entered the Sussex Wildlife Trust reserve, butterflies appeared in abundance: large numbers of Meadow Browns, Small Heaths and Common Blues, several Small Coppers and, best of all, many Clouded Yellows – it has been a special summer for this migrant species.

The flora, as expected, had suffered in the drought, but Small Scabious flowers were abundant enough, and these were the main attraction for the butterflies. A variety of Asteraceae had also been able to keep flowering: Stemless Thistle, Carline Thistle and Ploughman’s Spikenard, all chalk specialists. Also notable was the leafless parasite Dodder, which was hosted by Marjoram and Common Knapweed.

A flighty moth that was glimpsed several times before it could be identified was a Wavy-barred Sable, a very local chalkland specialist. The biggest concentration of insects, though, was in the cowpats! The cattle grazing here, as is good practice on nature reserves, are not dosed with insecticides, and each cowpat is a bonanza. An unfamiliar beetle with variable red and yellow patches turned out to be Sphaeridium scarabaeoides, which belongs to a family of mainly water beetles, whilst most dung beetles are in the scarab family.

It was a stimulating visit in which the wide variety of things seen testified to the success of the management strategy and the natural resilience of chalk downland flora and fauna.