A beautiful Hummingbird Hawkmoth on Graffham Down nature reserve enjoying the marjoram. @sussexwildlife.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social #butterflies #moths

Amazing day on Graffham Down. Still many wildflowers flowering despite the drought. Butterflies everywhere you look! Spotted Clouded Yellow, Marbled Whites, Painted Ladies, Common Blues, Silver Y, Gatekeepers, Small Skippers, Red Admirals. @sussexwildlife.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Gatekeepers playing musical chairs on the marjoram. So many it’s hard to count them all. #bigbutterflycount #butterflies

Good to see two Red Admirals in the garden, they like the Hemp Agrimony I planted a couple of years ago. #bigbutterflycount #wildflowers #butterflies

Counted 24 Gatekeepers and a Common Blue in the garden for my first #bigbutterflycount this year. @savebutterflies.bsky.social #butterflies

There are Gatekeepers everywhere you look in the garden. Ragwort and marjoram are their favourites. #wildflowers #butterflies #rewilding #gardeningforwildlife

Three lovely Common Blues in the garden today, along with a lot of Gatekeepers. Luckily the Birdsfoot Trefoil is hanging on, despite the drought. #butterflies @savebutterflies.bsky.social @sussexwildlife.bsky.social

Great to see so much wild carrot thriving on the path across Goring Greensward (currently more brown than green). #wildflowers are amazingly resilient in the drought. #heatwave #drought #worthing

The Cardoons are thriving in the heat and the bees love diving into the flowerheads. #bees #pollinators

Really enjoying #Togetherness by @rowhoop.bsky.social Beautifully written and full of lots of fascinating information about symbiosis. #booksky #naturewriting

Great to see the first male Common Blue in the garden! Such a gorgeous blue and equally lovely underwing. They love the Birdsfoot Trefoil. #butterflies #wildflowers @savebutterflies.bsky.social

So many Gatekeepers in the garden, counted at least 15 this morning. They love the marjoram. At least the heat is good for something. #butterflies #wildflowers @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Great to see the Hornet Hoverfly back in the garden, along with a Red Admiral enjoying the purple loosestrife. @sussexwildlife.bsky.social #butterflies #hoverflies

Found a lovely Forest Bug in the garden, never seen one before. #bugs #gardeningforwildlife @sussexwildlife.bsky.social

Azure damselflies mating with another male trying to get in on the act. #DragonflyWeek #ponds #dragonflies

The wasps were waiting for me to refill their water bowl today and were straight in after I did. #bees #wasps It’s so dry here in the south, please leave #waterforwildlife

Marbled White on Scabious - Cissbury Ring near Worthing. #wildflowerhour #chalkgrassland

Lots of wildlife in the garden today. First red admiral on the buddleia, a frog in the pond, azure damselflies mating, several gatekeepers. #gardeningforwildlife #ponds #butterflies #dragonflies #frogs

Happy #NationalMeadowsDay! The slopes of #CissburyRing are full of wildflowers, grasses and insects. @southdownsnp.bsky.social

Nice to see my new bee/wasp water bowl is working. #waterforwildlife @bumblebeetrust.bsky.social

The marjoram is out and the Gatekeepers are back in the garden! Such bright, energetic butterflies. #butterflies @savebutterflies.bsky.social @sussexwildlife.bsky.social

Gorgeous day on #CissburyRing so many butterflies and wildflowers. Marbled whites, gatekeepers, meadow browns, small skippers, painted ladies and a fritillary. Not sure what the silvery moth is on the ragwort. Final excitement was seeing a lizard! Too fast for a photo @sussexwildlife.bsky.social

Think this is a Gatekeeper butterfly hiding among the leaves. The first in our garden this year. #butterflies

Last day of #insectweek - here’s my favourite - the gorgeous thick-legged flower beetle! @sussexwildlife.bsky.social #beetles #bugs

In celebration of buddleia bushes that thrive in the garden in heat and drought. There are three different colours. So far only seen one Red Admiral visiting them but hopefully there’ll be more butterflies soon. #wildflowers

Great to see the edges of West Parade open space looking wild, with a bank of bristly ox-tongue, lesser knapweed, yarrow, mallow and docks. #Worthing #wildflowers #rewilding @lgspace.bsky.social

A beautiful patch of Sea Campion on West Worthing beach, in the evening light, trembling in the breeze. #wildflowers #coastalplants #vegetatedshingle @sussexwildlife.bsky.social

It’s peak purple loosestrife time in the pond. There’s also figwort and the water mint will soon be flowering. #pondplants #wildflowers

A few seconds of my partner and me being amazed to see a broad-bodied chaser ovipositing in the pond. At least the heat is good for some creatures. #insectweek #dragonflies @sussexwildlife.bsky.social

It’s 31 degrees Celsius in my writing room in Worthing. There’s usually a cooling breeze from the sea but not today. Luckily for me I can go somewhere else but that’s not true for many people at work or school. #climatebreakdown is here and it’s frightening how unprepared we are. #heatwave 🔥🌍🔥