30th July 2022 - four ANW members had a great trip along Fleam Dyke, witnessing literally thousands of Chalk Hill Blue butterflies. At virtually every step there was a Chalk Hill Blue on the path, and looking either side one could easily see ten or twelve within a few feet. Along the kilometre or so of the dyke we walked, there really must have been thousands. Male Chalk Hill Blue butterflies are pale blue on the upper with a contrasting black and white border, whereas the females are mostly brown with orange spots on the lower wing, also with a white border. Undersides are very similar to the Common Blue, but lack the bright orange spots on the upper wing, with males tending to be paler than females.
There were also one or two of several other butterfly species, and also a few interesting chalkland plants such as Horseshoe Vetch and Clustered Bellflower.
