Friston Forest

    Friston Forest is located behind Seven Sisters

    Country Park off of the A259.
    You can also enter the Forest from Jevington.

    White Horse on the edge of Frog Firle at Cuckmere Valley on
    the 'River Cliff'. The Cliff was carved out of the chalk by Glacial
    melt water. The mysterious Horse was cut into the Chalk in 1836.

    View of Cuckmere Haven from the edge of the Forest
    12.07.2011

    A great spot to watch Buzzards in action.
     I saw four, soaring together on the edge of the forest.

    10.06.2011

   

    Nesting Rooks.
    16.03.2011

    On the edge of the Forest.
    27.05.2010

    30.03.2010

    12.07.2011
   

    Goat Willow (Salix caprea) (?)

    Tube Lichen

    Tree Sap and Fungus on an upturned Tree.

 

    Marbled White Butterfly ( Melanargia galathea)
    24.06.2011

    Large Skipper Butterfly
    Ochlodes venata
    10.06.2011

    24.06.2011

    Ringlet Butterfly
    In a Meadow at the edge of the Forest
    12.07.2011

    Wasp nest
    12.07.2011

    Banded Snails

    16.03.2011

    Common Pipistrelle Bat

    Found this lil fella on the floor under a tree, mid-afternoon.

    In fact, I nearly trod on him, my friend alerted me to his prescence!

    I picked him up and warmed him in my hands as he felt cold and

    was very sluggish. I also gave him some water from the end of

    my finger which he tried to bite. I left him in the tree that we found

    him under. He seemed to be washing himself as we left.

    I phoned The Bat Society which lead to me having a month's course

    of Rabies injections. Bat's must only be handled whilst wearing gloves.

    The Bat Society informed me that I should've taken him home

    then contacted them to come and collect him. I did return the next day,

    there was no sign of him. I do hope he found his roost!

    Bats are protected in the UK.

    Swallow taking a break

    Injured Wood Pigeon
    I left him in a safe place in the woods
    12.07.2011

    Large Ground Beetle
    23.06.2011

    Wasp Beetle

    Clytus arietis

    I think this is a type of Longhorn Beetle.

    10.06.2011

    Bloody-Nosed Beetle Larvae
    31.05.2010

    Mating Bloody-Nosed Beetles (Timarcha tenebricosa)
    A flightless Beetle. Also called the Blood Spewing Beetle

    as it exhudes a bright red, foul-tasting fluid from it's mouth

    as a defence. One of the largest Leaf Beetles in the UK.

    Sexton Beetle or Burying Beetle is a member of the
    Carrion Beetle Family.
    Family - Silphidae
    Genus - Nicrophorus
    They can detect a dead animal from far away with the
    chemoreceptors on their antennae.
    Found this one under the tail of a dead Fox.

    I think it'll take him a while to bury that!
   16.03.2011

    Dor Beetle (Geostrupes stercorarius).

    One of the UK's largest Dung Beetles.

    Named so as they eat mainly Cow Dung, of which they

    can eat the equivalent of their own bodyweight everyday!

    They can fly but are rather clumsy.

    27.05.2010

    Cardinal Beetle (Pyrochroa serraticornis)

    Lives on small insects. A very strong flier.

    Found at the edges of Woodland.

    31.05.2010

    A type of Tortoise Beetle (?)
    16.03.2011

    Harvestman - Megabunus diadema

    Showing three spine-tipped apophyses on each femur.

    Harvestmen are not Spiders. They belong to the Arachnid

    order Opiliones. Unlike Spiders, Harvestmen's bodies are fused

    into one. They will feed on carrion and rotten vegetable matter

    which Spiders do not.

    Megabunus diadema 
    Amazing spikey brow : Ocularium with 5-6 very
    distinctive, long, crown-like spines.
    5mm in size. 

    16.03.2011

    Harvestman - Opilio canestrinii (Female)
    12.07.2011

    Invisible Spider (Drapetisca socialis)

    A type of Money Spider (Linyphiidae)

    These Spiders hunt by running up and down on tree bark

    - usually Beech. Try touching a Beech tree and see what moves!

    That's how I discovered them!

    Thanks to Gary Bradley of UKSafari.com for Id.

    Male Invisible Spider

    Juvenile Wolf Spider
    Trochosa sp.
    Found in a grass clump along the edge of a Flint Wall at
    the edge of the Forest.
    12.07.2011

    Male Southern Hawker Dragonfly (Aeshna cyanea)

    Male Ruddy Darter Dragonfly (Sympetrum sanguineum)

    Unusual looking chap.
    I think it's a type of Hoverfly
    24.06.2011

    12.07.2011

    A type of Sawfly (?)

    A type of Hoverfly

    A Wolf or Hunting Spider - A member of the Lycosidae family.

    Three different colour variations of the Common Orb Web Spider.

    Also known as the Lesser Garden Spider.

    Family - Tetragnathidae

    Genus - Meta

    13.08.2010

    Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)

    30.03.2010

    Black Snake Millipede (Tachypodoiulus niger)

    Lycosid
    16.03.2011

    Female Mitopus morio
    Harvestman 

    A rather pretty male Running Crab Spider.
    Family - Thomisidae
    Subfamily - Philodrominae
    This one was waiting for me on an old fence on the edge of
    Friston Forest, Jevington entrance.

 

    10.06.2011