Our first Speckled Wood fluttered along the sunny / shaded margin about Long Meadow over flow car park. The second appeared on the splendid open ride created alongside the wooded coast path. No butterflies were upon caravan terrace but there were signs of coppiced Buddleia regrowth, fresh Wood Sage and fleshy Primrose leaves with only a few flowers present.
Long Meadow’s vegetation height had increased, elsewhere Hemp Agrimony was near knee height.
Stuart spotted the first Wall Lizard near the castle. It showed its vivid green and pale-yellow / brown colour, long tail and a size greater than the Common Lizard. A second Wall Lizard emerged from a dry-stone wall crevice, this led to a stand-off, then the first leaping to the chase the intruder off. We were able to see the Wall Lizard flattening out its “chest & belly” to maximise its surface area and warm up its blood in the sun.
Initially we saw Cuckoo Spit which indicated a larva inside drinking plant sap The bubbles being a protective cloak emitted from the larva’s bottom! Upon Valerian a leaf hopper shaped insect which indeed hopped (jumped) was dark black with orange spots. This we learnt was an adult Frog Hopper which would have emerged from the “spit”. Underneath a “slate” of Limestone was a colony of active black Ants. Elsewhere, Ants visited a milked Aphids which were upon Stinging Nettles.
At the foot of the Great Globe steps an area that had been cleared of scrub was being recolonised with Thistles and Greater Periwinkle, the later showed one flower beside the coast path. Upon Tamarisk there were a mixture of tight buds and some open fluffy flowers like Willow catkins.
A Rock Pipit preened at edge of sea cliff ledge. On the cliff tops both Thrift and Sea Campion bloomed. Of the later one plat had to stretch through the leaves of Sea Lavender to reach sunlight. A very loose broken raft of some forty sea birds include a good dozen Razorbills as well as the Guillemots. Inevitably a Rock Doves and Jackdaws flew and landed upon the sea cliffs.
We crept under the woodland cover to return to the centre. A couple of swaying Holm Oak stems creaked in the breeze. Another tree had been wind blown and was hung up in its neighbours. It torn root plate exposed a crater beneath. In this location without promoted public access the tree can be left and with its features to be colonised by wildlife.