I travelled to Exceat (Seven Sisters Country Park) by 12 bus, see 12 - Eastbourne-Brighton | Brighton & Hove Buses. From there, I walked through Friston Forest (mostly beach tress, planted in the 1930s/40s) to Friston Gallops (an area of unimproved short grass downland). Then walked to Lullington Heath Natural Nature Reserve,
Lullington Heath NNR lies on the South Downs between the villages of Jevington and Litlington. The 62 hectare Reserve is nationally important and was established in 955 to conserve one of the largest areas of chalk heath remaining in Britain. Chalk heath only occurs where, by the remotest of chances, acid soils have been deposited on the alkaline chalk, allowing acid loving plants to grow together with these of the chalk. Chalk heath covers just under a third of the Reserve. Elsewhere, bushes, chalk grassland and valley grassland form a patchwork across the site. Over 250 types of plant grow here. More than 98 types of bird have been seen, 50 of which nest on the Reserve, and 34 butterflies are listed amongst the hundreds of types of insects known to be present. Badgers and foxes do well on the Reserve, as do other small mammals such as rabbit, stoat, weasel and several types of mouse, vole and shrew. Lullington Heath National Nature Reserve; Nature walks - NE362 (naturalengland.org.uk)
From Lullington Heath I walked back down to the Seven Sisters Country Park Visitors Centre via West Dean, and caught the 12 bus back to Brighton
Butterflies
These photos are grouped by butterfly species seen (alphabetically), not presented chronologically
Friston Gallops
Adonis Blue
Cinnabar Moth
Common Blue
Female Common Blue/possibly Brown Argos
Large Skipper
Meadow Brown
Painted Lady
Red Admiral
Small Skipper
Small Copper
Small Tortoiseshell
Speckled Wood
Plants. Birds and Views
Presented chronologically
Friston Forest
Path through the woods
Common Agrimony
Hedge Woundwort
Juvenile Buzzard in a Beech Tree
Large Skipper on Bird's-Foot Trefoil
Friston Gallops
Linnet on Elder
View of the Gallops
Friston Forest (on the way to Lullington Heath)
A type of Willow Herb (a non native plant)
Stichwort
Bird Vetch
Path to Lullington Heath - chalk grassland and planted forest
Dog Rose
Chaffinch in Lichen covered tree
Moss?
Blackthorn with Cow Parsnip growing through it
Sheep (conservation grazing) and Gorse
Gorse
Grassland and view of the north facing escarpment of the South Downs
Path back to West Dean, Elders
Looking from near West Dean to Lullington Heath (beyond the trees of Friston Forest)
