My walk begins at the top of Long Meadow, mown paths to the picnic tables have created rides through the white Wild Carrot umbels, sunny yellow Bristly Ox-tongue flowers, and more occasional Red Clover. A Robin cheerily whistles from the Mock Orange, and its calls are echoed by another along the hedgerow.
A flutter of brown, with a quick flash of bluish sheen. I hastily identify as a Common Blue butterfly, until it lands on a petal-less Fleabane. It lowers its wings to reveal a dark mark in the centre of each forewing, identifying it as a Brown Argus.
Crickets and Grasshoppers whirr noisily from the long grass. (Crickets sounding by rubbing their wings together, and Grasshoppers using their legs instead). I spot a few Roesel's Bush-crickets, identified by their cream U-shaped marking.
I head along the coast path towards Sunnydale, a Hummingbird Hawkmoth enjoying the blooms of the flowering Buddleia, Fuchsia, and Ragwort. A Gatekeeper pauses atop one of the sunlit walls. I peer over onto its eastern facing side to see a Wall Brown basking the same.
The woodland glades are filled with Willowherb and Hemp Agrimony. Both of these plants are a magnet for all of these butterflies, and billow out into the footpath. Sure enough, a Speckled Wood dances along in front of me, beckoning me along the way.
I descend through the sleepy hollow, under the canopy of the Holm oaks. Here, Brambles clamber in every direction. It’s intertwined with Bittersweet, and decorated by the purple flowers, and red berries. A scattering of the dainty white Enchanters Nightshade flowers are frosted across the top.
Less butterflies to be seen along the darker stretch, but by no means short on insects. Of course most of them whizzing past me at speeds far too quickly to identify but a soft creamy-peach coloured Rosy Footman flutters by more slowly. Then, another moth, a female Four-Spotted Footman is wrestled to the ground by a Wasp.