Portsdown Hill 14th June 2026

Mark Trigwell led a group of seven westward along the south facing slopes of Portsdown Hill close to Fort Widley. The weather was warm, bright and muggy so some of us were pleased to tucking into cooling ice creams at the end. We met the warden who said that it was not worth looking at the nearby lizard orchids this year. Flora-wise we were pleased to track down several patches of bastard toadflax Thesium humifusum and we also identified some of the naturalised Cotoneasters, such as C.franchetii and C.salicifolia (Franchett’s and willow-leaved Cotoneasters respectively). Butterflies were disappointing after the recent poor weather but Geoff was there with his camera for the flies and other insects. Particular highlights included a nymph of Great Green Bush-cricket, two chafers sadly only seen by Geoff – the spotted chafer Oxythyrea funestra and the reddish Omaloplia ruricola, and assortment of the flies including Oxyna parietina, a species with a network of pale brown spotting on the wings. A strange gall affecting non flowering marjoram was photographed and believed to be caused by the mite Aceria origani.