Summer 2021 promote the existence of CHB in Suffolk close to where he lives. I considered field verges, but they can get ploughed in at the whim of the owner. I considered other road verges, but we would be dependent upon the whims of an impersonal authority whose leading staff only play lip service to conservation.
owns it. With the prospect that the government may pay for biodiversity schemes farmers will not need persuading, I suspect, and your Butterfly Conservation branch is here to help.
Taking an ordinary OS map, I realised that East Anglia has very many irrigation reservoirs. The banks of a reservoir need to be properly managed to maintain structural integrity. Establishing a wildflower meadow would be possible and would add another dimension to an environmental feature that water creates. The banks will almost certainly be made of disturbed soil low in plant nutrients. In fact, I cannot think of anywhere better.
Horseshoe Vetch Hippocrepis-comosa (image from Urbanbutterflygarden.co.uk)
So, what did happen to the A14 project? It certainly did not bring in crowds of butterflies. It did show that female CHBs would fly 2 miles, find HV and lay eggs. It did show that HV can survive in an unmanaged habitat. It also showed that the idea of planting unmanaged grassland to create an area for butterflies, bees and other insects is worth trying and wouldn’t cost much. The moral of this tale is simple. Like Robert the Bruce hiding in a cave, be inspired to go out and try again but this time get as many people as possible to find a patch to try for themselves to create a place for insects. All you have to do is find your nearest irrigation reservoir and who
Chalkhill Blues by Trevor Goodfellow
How Can You Help Improve the Lot for Butterflies? Twm Wade
Let me first introduce you to two elderly gentlemen who spend some of their spare time recording butterfly numbers in Dunwich Forest. One lives near Woodbridge the other at Beccles. They have been doing it for 10 years following the same route every time; known as a transect.
The walking of transects is well established across the UK and are enjoyable yet have scientific merit. They share the weekly walk from 1 April to 30 September and the concern is they are growing 7
