It has been a great spring for insects in Kent with a spell of uninterrupted warm, dry weather through April and May. The holly blues Celastrina argiolus are all over the hedgerow dogwoods Cornus sanguinea laying eggs on the flower clusters. The small blues Cupido minimus at Fackenden Down are plentiful at the base of the steep downland slope as is its caterpillar foodplant, kidney vetch Anthyllis vulneraria. All the spindle Euonymus europaeus bushes in the ancient hedgerows hereabouts have been defoliated and turned to a blanket of white web by a plague of spindle ermine moths Yponomeuta cagnagella; it shows how abundant it is but easily overlooked because of its unassuming flowers. Clouds of pea moths Cydia nigricana erupt from the grasslands where they are probably feeding on the vetch and clovers. In a corner of Farningham Wood, the lily of the valley Convallaria majalis is out and Solomon’s seal Polygonatum multiflorum is emerging; these are tough little plants because the soils are hard-baked even under the dense sweet chestnut Castanea sativa and beech Fagus sylvatica trees where both grow.