Another reach back into the archives...
This is a slightly frustrating post. This weekend we had both booked time of work to attend a a Butterfly Weekend.It is an event held by the Butterfly Conservation Charity who look after various local reserves and manage it for wildlife. And while they look after all wildlife, the main focus is Butterflies (obviously). Once a year they hold an event and invite supporters of the charity and other members of the general public to attend a series of events to show the results of their work.
It is split into 2 halves. The first is a public moth trap event where various local moth-ers set up their traps and show what can be seen when darkness falls. The second is a guided butterfly walk, where a local expert leads us round the reserve pointing out interesting stuff and sharing his extensive knowledge.
Now with all the Coronavirus problems, this years event is unfortunately cancelled. So instead I will share some images from the Event we attended exactly 2 years ago today, and show just what we are missing out on this weekend
Part 1 can be seen here
Part 2 - Guided Butterfly Walk
After the fantastic, but very tiring, night at the Moth Event (we eventually got home at 3am), the following day we headed back to Chambers Farm Wood to do the Butterfly Walk. Again hosted by the Butterfly Conservation, it featured several knowledgeable experts on a walk around the wood talking about and pointing out interesting Butterflies.
Ringlet - Aphantopus hyperantus
One of the highlights was quite early on in the walk: we were led to a meadow where (after a bit of poking around) we were shown small bundles of web in the long grass...
... these random bundles turned out to be the nests of Marsh Fritillary caterpillars! Not only had we not seen these caterpillars before but we had also seen the adult Butterflies earlier in the year in this very field!
Marsh Fritillary Euphydryas aurinia - Caterpillars
Marsh Fritillary Euphydryas aurinia - Adult (picture from earlier in the year)
It was really cool to actually see the continuation of this species. After feeding, the caterpillars will form a chrysalis, and then emerge as adults next year to continue the cycle.
While walking round we saw lots of different species including White Admiral, Silver Washed Fritillary and this Brimstone Butterfly.
Brimstone Butterfly - Gonepteryx rhamni
The final highlight was still to come. While walking around the reserve, our guide was pointing out various species including the Purple Hairstreak, which is a butterfly that is usually only seen fluttering around the tree tops. As we rounded a corner, he spotted 2 butterflies flying at shoulder height. Quick as a flash (with the energy of a man half his age) he whipped out a butterfly net and swiped at the air with it...
...and what a catch! Two beautiful Purple Hairstreaks. He potted them up and passed them around the group, and once we had all appreciated the beauty of the butterflies close up, he released them again.
Purple Hairstreak - Favonius quercus
I hope you enjoyed this 2 part series of butterflies and moths from the archives, and hopefully normal service will return shortly... and as usual any comments or questions then please leave a message here