Reasons to smile in the South Downs
October 5, 2016
These are just a few of the reasons to smile today, and every day in the South Downs National Park.
Adonis blue
The sight of an Adonis blue on the rare chalk grassland of the South Downs can take your breath away. But did you know the Adonis blue butterfly larvae is tended to and protected by ants?
Ants are attracted by the sweet secretions of the green larvae and protect them by burying them in loose earth at night. In the larval stage the Adonis blue spends the winter in the upper soil surface, often in ant nests where pupae continue to be tended to by ants until the adults emerge.
Dark skies
The darker evenings mean more time for stars and as we’ve been recognised internationally for the quality of our dark night skies, you don’t have to venture far to see the Milky Way.
The South Downs has recently been recognised for the quality of its dark skies and has been named as an International Dark Sky Reserve.
Water voles
Hearing the delightful ‘plop’ of a water vole getting into a river or stream always makes us smile.
Our Rangers have worked hard to bring water voles back from the brink of local extinction on the River Meon so you can hear that distinctive sound more often in the South Downs.
Deer rut
The autumn fallow deer rut at Petworth Park is spectacular.
The male bucks compete for the attention of the female does by strutting next to the competition and making the loudest roar they can muster – sometimes described as a ‘throaty burp’.
If a buck can’t drive away rivals with his roar they will battle for supremacy by going head-to-head, pushing each other with their antlers to see who is stronger. The bucks prepare for this annual duel by buliking up on a diet of fallen conkers.