This is one of my favourite walks and only a couple of hours drive from home.  The views are immense - across The Channel to France - and the mighty white cliffs are as dramatic as they are rich in wildlife.  For me, it is one of Britain's best-kept secrets - a stretch of beautiful coastline right next to Dover's busy ferry terminal.

My visit wasn't wildlife-focussed but instead a pleasant walk with good friends, however, nevertheless I encountered a new (for me) species of butterfly - my first ever Chalk Hill Blue.  I stressed to my friends that these were scarce butterflies but it was hard to believe as they were everywhere!  Clearly the chalk downland above the cliffs suited them perfectly.

The males are a beautiful pale blue - a chalky-blue in my mind - lacking the rich depth in colour of Common or Adonis Blues.  Their wings are surrounding by a darker border while the females, as is typical with the blue butterflies, are a more discreet brown. They were by far the commonest butterfly on the cliffs and, at times, I almost trod on them as they settled on the path by my feet. ​

Just past South Foreland lighthouse another wildflower-rich meadow held another gem in the form of the also-scarce Adonis Blue butterfly. Unlike the faded-looking Chalk Hill Blue the Adonis Blue jumps out at you with a stunning deep, rich blue.

My photo doesn't quite capture the intensity of the blue and this is a battle-worn individual having lost a chunk from its left wing - perhaps from a bird.  The little black marks that cross the white wing-border separate this species from other blues and confirm it as an Adonis Blue.  Both the Chalk Hill and Adonis Blues are butterflies that I am very unlikely to encounter on my rambles at home so seeing them in abundance was very special.

Of course, being August and being on a headland just across from France meant that my 'bird antennae' were also up.  However, I didn't encounter too much save a lone Wheatear on passage. There also seemed to be a steady passage of birds out to sea but without a scope I could only identify a few Gannets and Mediterranean Gulls by way of interest.  A dark bird headed west looked tantalisingly like a Brown Booby but at such distance it had to be relegated to the 'in your dreams' category of 'ones that go away'!

Aside from the fact that this walk is book-ended by two National Trust cafés, this short stretch of coastline is well worth a visit.  The area has precedence for good birds and if you want inspiration for a visit check out - Perdix Birding - a blog by local birder Jamie Partridge.

It's not been a great year for butterflies in the UK but my garden, as far as I'm concerned, seems to have bucked the trend.  Perhaps not in terms in quantity but definitely in terms of quality with 2 new species recently added to the garden list.

The first - an Essex Skipper -  is easily overlooked, partly due to its small size but also because it closely resembles a commoner cousin - the Small Skipper - a butterfly that has occurred in my garden before.  I find that both species are difficult to pin down (maybe with poorer eyesight) as they 'skip' across the long grass.  However, once located, it's all about the antennae!

Esses Skippers' antennae appear to have been 'dipped' in black ink whereas the Small Skipper's are a butterscotch orange.

In my experience too, Essex Skippers usually appear a fresher, paler yellowy-orange while the Small Skippers appear a darker orange.  Some have pointed out that this difference may simply be due to Essex Skippers emerging later than the Small Skippers and therefore do appear 'fresher'.

Now into August and the garden is being regularly visited by butterflies and dragonflies so I keep checking to see what's about.  Today, I was rewarded with another new species for the garden - a Small Copper Butterfly.  Sadly it didn't stay put for long enough for me to get a decent photo but here's one from elsewhere, a while back.

My garden is definitely benefiting from the area of lawn I've left uncut along with the weedy margins.  The garden also undoubtedly benefits from the large wild-flower areas created in the last few years on the playing field behind our house by St Albans Council.  The added interest these simple developments have brought to the garden is incredible!

My garden butterfly list now stands at 22 species!  The full list can be seen here.

I hate to say it, but I had the first ‘whiff’ of autumn today.  Today is 23rd June!!
I’m not sure exactly what it was.  Maybe…
 
…the movement of small flocks of tits through the apple trees in the garden
      …the calls of young Goldcrests on the move
          …the news that a returning male Redstart was found this morning on the Herts border
             …a slight damp in the air, despite the warmth
 
Of course, summer is still to come…at least I really hope it is…but certain sights and sounds trigger seasonal feelings, and they are not altogether inaccurate.  After all, the return passage of waders is underway with Green Sandpipers reappearing at the local gravel pits along with a lone Redshank.  Lapwing numbers are increasing although new broods of chicks are still appearing.  Gull numbers are growing and today the first juvenile Black-headed Gull joined the growing numbers of adults at the local pits.
 
And yet our butterflies are hardly out yet and the Ragwort not quite in bloom.  Summer still has plenty to bring forth and yet, in the background, the quiet recession back to winter has begun!  I love it and for me there is no sadness, only anticipation.  Change brings the unexpected and while it would on occasion feel good to be in a forever-summer, the long days would grow dull and I don’t mean meteorologically!

Small & Large Skipper Butterflies - signs that summer still has plenty to give!