Blackcap and Ashcombe Bottom |
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| Description: | This National Trust site isn’t the easiest place to visit but make the effort and the rewards are there to be enjoyed. The grazed area around Blackcap at TQ374125 comes alive with blue butterflies in the summer and all our Sussex skippers can be found there. Ashcombe Bottom is a wooded valley south of Blackcap and is home to colonies of White Admiral and Silver-washed Fritillaries. At the southern tip of Ashcombe, an area grazed by rabbits at TQ376111 is where Silver-spotted Skippers can be found. |
| Species: | Target species include all the Sussex skippers, Wall, Silver-washed Fritillary, Dark Green Fritillary, White Admiral, Green Hairstreak, Small Blue, Adonis Blue, and Chalk Hill Blue. |
| Best time to visit: | All-season-long but especially productive in July and August when many of the named target species may be seen. |
| Additional notes: | A great place to find a lovely variety of butterfly species. The difficulty of access and the steep slopes means it is inevitably under-watched. |
| Getting there: | Blackcap is situated on the main east-west path above the scarp slope of the South Downs, around 3km west of Lewes. The longer but gentler route begins at Landport Bottom nature reserve at TQ402109, whilst the slightly shorter but steeper route begins at Offham village at TQ399120. |
| Grid ref.: | TQ374125 |
| Post Code: | BN7 3AA |
| Map: |
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| ID: | 8 |
