Totternhoe Quarry and Knolls

Wednesday 12th May 2010

Totternhoe Quarry and Knolls, owned by the Bedfordshire Wildlife Trust is a stronghold of the Duke of Burgundy. In recent years much work has been done to understand the requirements of this BAP species: it is a fickle creature, disappearing from one part of the reserve for no apparent reason only to reappear in another area. Our leader, Colin Lucas, was able to give us up to date information on the state of the butterfly.

Perhaps we were a little early in the season, and on a day of much cloud and a cool wind we were not overly hopeful about finding our target species, but the temperature in some of the hollows on the site was noticeably higher than on the tops and in a rare moment of sunshine Colin led us to the most likely haunt, where fortune shone upon us. A single Duke of Burgundy rested on a dried-up bramble and then two more were noticed. Colin spoke about how the Trust was managing the site for the known requirements of warmth and shelter, and cowslip or primrose as larval food plants. Winter work on thickets of hawthorn and Clematisvitalba that need to be kept at bay is a time consuming and arduous task.

After lunch a short walk to a grassy area of scrub produced a number of Dingy Skipper, Speckled Wood, Brimstone and Green Hairstreak. Then on to Bison Hill, where car passengers alighted at the lower slope to begin their gradual ascent and car drivers continued to the car park, then walked downhill for a mid-hill rendezvous. On the more exposed sections of the path there was cool, moderate breeze, but occasionally the sun broke through the cloud cover and in the sheltered parts our group of ten people searched out Grizzled Skipper and a Duke of Burgundy. Sheltered banks of cowslips looked ideal habitat for the latter butterfly but better weather conditions would be necessary before more made an appearance. A Grizzled Skipper in fine condition had been seen earlier near the car park, but on our return to the vehicles the skipper remained hidden. However, undeterred by cloud and breeze, a copulating pair of Speckled Wood proved that time is short and chances have to be taken in the insect world.

Pleased that our target species of Duke of Burgundy and Grizzled Skipper had been seen we departed from this chalk downland scenery for the clay and sand soils of Suffolk, with the thought that we must return again to the Chilterns.

Grizzled Skipper by Douglas Hammersley