Articles in ‘butterflies of Britain’
November 15th, 2009
2009 has been the year of the Painted Lady butterflies, after unusually favourable breeding conditions in North Africa triggered a remarkable wave of migration that saw millions arrive in Britain. So it’s appropriate that this year a niggling mystery regarding this species has finally been solved. After breeding, do these butterflies attempt to survive the British winter, or do they migrate southwards?
With a huge response from the public, Butterfly Conservation have been monitoring the movements of Painted Ladies all year and have received numerous reports of the butterflies heading out to sea off the south coast of Britain and arriving in the Mediterranean and North Africa. Richard Fox of Butterfly Conservation:
This is exactly the evidence needed to lay this enduring mystery to rest. Painted Ladies do return southwards from Britain in the autumn enabling the species to continue its breeding cycle during the winter months.
butterflies of Britain | Tags: Painted Ladies in Britain, Painted Ladies migrate south, painted lady butterfly migration, public monitor butterfly movements|
October 27th, 2009
The Queen of Spain Fritillary (Issoria lathonia), a rare migrant sporadically seen on the south coast of England, has been observed breeding in Sussex. With climate change, the butterfly’s range has been creeping ever northwards, and sightings in England have increased in recent years. The mating Fritillaries photographed by Neil Hulme, member of Butterfly Conservation, are believed to be the offspring of a migrant butterfly spotted in July. It now remains to be seen if this species will be able to establish a breeding colony, as the Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) has done. Its success will depend largely on environmentally-friendly farming practices, such as not spraying crops at the edge of fields. More information on the Queen of Spain Fritillary at UK Butterflies
Climate change in the UK, butterflies of Britain, insects of Britain | Tags: climate change and butterflies, effect of climate change on British butterflies, Issoria lathonia in Britain, migrating butterflies in Britain, Queen of Spain Fritillary colony in England, Queen of Spain Fritillary in Britain, rare butterflies of Britain|
August 19th, 2009
An airy place to stretch your legs, Rodborough Common is perched steeply over Stroud, on the edge of the Cotswolds. Any time of the year is good for extensive views of the Severn estuary and Welsh mountains on the horizon, but spring to summer are best, as the carefully managed chalk grassland is a haven for butterflies and wild flowers. Read the rest of this entry
England, Flora of Britain, Southern England, Walking in Britain, Wild flowers of Britain, butterflies of Britain | Tags: Autumn ladies tresses, Duke of Burgundy butterfly, greater horseshoe bat, limestone grasslands, Stroud Rodborough Common, walking with good views, walks near Stroud, weekend in Stroud, where to find orchids, where to see butterflies|
August 19th, 2009
This summer there’s good reason to be optimistic about the Duke of Burgundy (Hamearis lucina), on the list of endangered British butterflies. With the destruction of its preferred woodland habitat, the species hung on in areas of undergrazed downland in the south of England, favoured by the crash in the rabbit population. What’s unusual this year is that a second generation of the butterfly has appeared in one of its more northerly outposts, Rodborough Common, Gloucestershire, owned by the National Trust. Climate change seems responsible for the butterfly emerging earlier every spring and for this appearance of a second brood in summer, as occurs in southern Europe. Read more at the BBC, where you can also listen to the clearly thrilled conservation advisor Matthew Oates, as he talks about the revival of the Duke of Burgundy.
Climate change in the UK, Conservation issues in the UK, butterflies of Britain | Tags: Butterflies in England, butterflies on Rodborough Common, butterfly conservation, Duke of Burgundy butterfly|
July 31st, 2009
Summer time is perilous, judging by some of the recent headlines in the Daily Telegraph:
Wasp Hordes poised to invade British Gardens, Army of Flying Ants descend on Britain, Swarm of Millions of Ladybirds infests farm.
It’s enough to make you flee indoors and hide, with all windows sealed shut.
But one invasion is described in words that don’t invite fear and loathing: Billions of Butterflies expected in Gardens. Read the rest of this entry
Wildlife in gardens in Britain, butterflies of Britain, insects of Britain | Tags: Butterflies in Britain, butterfly migration in Britain, insect invasions, Painted Ladies in Britain, Painted Lady migration, summer insects in Britain|
The Co-op is further expanding its 
There are now some excellent landscape blogs covering Britain. Here are a few:
With more and more people wanting to grow their own fruit and vegetables, the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners have over 100,000 people on their waiting lists. The National Trust have responded to this demand by allocating land for “super allotments” or community farms. In return for a monthly fee, members will decide what should be grown, and have the opportunity to work on the farms, receiving a share of the produce. 
A new measure to help the rapidly declining British eel population will oblige owners of weirs and locks to install bypasses, allowing the fish to swim up and down stream unhindered. See 
